Performance metrics become the building blocks of any good fire service lesson plan. Performance metrics are also part of the Cedar Rapids Fire Department's quality assurance process.

Essentially, a performance metric describes what the Fire Department will be doing when demonstrating mastery of an objective. For example, the Fire Department strives to arrive on scene of an emergency within five minutes of receiving the 911 call.

The performance metric must be measurable. Criteria is derived from past work practices, present work practices, present performance needs, future organizational plans, Standard Operating Procedures, and other sources such as National Fire Protection Association standards for fire departments.

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department sends customer survey cards to a random sample of citizens that utilize our services and averages their satisfaction rating on a scale of 1-5, with "5" being the highest score. The Fire Department also tracks the number of fires and intentional fires each month, and compares this information to national averages. Also, the Fire Department evaluates response times and turnout times. Turnout time is the period of time from fire or emergency call dispatch to leaving the fire station and going en route to the scene. The goal is to be have a turnout time of less than one minute for medical calls and 80 seconds for fire and special operations calls, which require firefighters to put on additional gear.

Performance metrics are shared with the City Council's Public Safety and Youth Services Subcommittee on a monthly basis. These meetings are held the second Monday of each month at 4:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Cedar Rapids Police Department, 505 1st Street SW.

For more information about performance metrics, please contact the Cedar Rapids Fire Department at 319-286-5200.